The conversations surrounding sincerity are as fierce and vivid as they are muddled. Yvon Belaval analyzes the ways in which sincerity relates to truth, knowledge and self-expression. In The concern for sincerity, the author describes sincerity not as some confessional urge, but rather as a desire to adapt to our social environment, and to feel protected by it. It is an emotional state closely related to self-indulgence and is concerned more so with aesthetics than ethics. We ought to prioritize frankness rather than sincerity.
